Saturday, August 24, 2013

If I Had to Do It All Again, I’d Eat More Cookies

by Olivia Greyson from THE COOKIE CUTTER
SHOP MYSTERIES, by Virginia Lowell.

Do you ever wonder what your life would
be like if you’d made different choices, by which I mean smarter choices, back
when you weren’t old enough to know any better? Not that I’m complaining, mind
you. I’m back home with family and friends in Chatterley Heights. I own my
dream business, The Gingerbread House, and I work with my best friend since age
ten, Maddie. What’s not to be happy about? It’s just that now and then I think
about what might have been.

My marriage fell apart before I moved
back home. I’m over that now, especially since I met Del Jenkins, the town’s
sheriff. The divorce wasn’t exactly amicable, but it was necessary. We were too
different. I wanted children; Ryan didn’t. He was a workaholic surgeon, while I
wanted at least some occasional togetherness. I was rather fond of monogamy; he
found it restrictive. Need I continue? Oh yeah, I love cookies, and Ryan was a
health nut. Probably still is.

Why am I dwelling on this? I think it’s
because Maddie just married the love of her life, Lucas. He owns the Heights
Hardware, right next door to The Gingerbread House. I’ve never seen Maddie so
happy. Lucas is a good guy, who shares her dreams. Also, he can fix plumbing,
so he’s practically perfect.

Del has been out of town, and I’m not
sure when he’s getting back. I’m not clear about what’s going on at his end.
Apparently, his ex-wife is in danger. Del is a kind and supportive guy. That’s
why he is helping his ex-wife through this crisis. I’m not entirely happy about
that. But I’m sure he’ll be back soon. I hope.

So I’m trying to kick myself into a more
positive mood. I baked a batch of cookies with two of my favorite flavors,
lemon and lime. Then I decorated them with royal icing in my favorite colors,
teal and purple. Then I ate six in a row. There’s nothing like a sugar high to
lift my mood, at least temporarily. After that wore off, I took my little
Yorkshire terrier, Spunky, on a run, which got the endorphins going for a
while. Now I’m writing down everything I’m grateful for in my life: friends, my
family (even my brother, Jason), my sweet Spunky, my business, Del (wherever he
is)… and yes, decorated cookies.

Do you have any other ideas for me? How
do you handle those moments when life seems flat, and you wonder if you’ll have
to let go of a dream or two?

Virginia is finishing Livie and Maddie’s
next COOKIE CUTTER SHOP mystery, which she promises will involve cookies, lots
of cookies… and murder. Stay tuned for updates! Meanwhile, she hopes you will
visit her at www.virginialowell.com

It's really too bad Livie doesn't have a sister like yours and mine. Her brother, Jason, is a good guy, but he and Livie are so different. Their mom is great, but there are some feelings you just don't want to share with your mom. However, as my own mother used to say, This too shall pass.

I just read the first book this week, and enjoyed it very much. To lift your spirits, hmm eat cookies while watching a favourite movie from your girlhood, like perhaps Dirty Dancing or Grease or Top Gun. It will make you smile again.

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We are the characters--major and minor--who inhabit the pages of some of your favorite cozy mysteries.We're coming out from between the covers and welcoming you into our lives.So grab a nice cuppa, settle in, and learn what happens when our authors aren't looking.